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How to Win at the SPA Awards 2024
2024 Regional Award Winners Announced
The Student Publication Association (SPA) has announced a fresh rundown of the best student newspapers across the UK and Ireland as the charity celebrates holding its first in-person regional event since before the pandemic.
This year's regional awards attracted more than 250 entries from student publications and journalists from Edinburgh to Exeter, and the winners were announced on our social media platforms over the weekend.
Now, we can also reveal those who were highly commended in each category, and fully congratulate the talent that student journalism holds.
As well as the awards, it was the first year since before the pandemic the SPA has been able to hold an in-person regional conference and awards ceremony, kindly hosted by Trinity News.
Around 50 talented student journalists descended on Dublin to hear from Aine Kerr, co-founder of Kinzen and formerly of the Irish Independent, Barry White, chief reporter at Newstalk Radio, and Aoife Barry, author of Social Capital and formerly of The Journal and Explained Pod.
Tributes were also paid to Joe Drennan, a journalist for SPA member publication Limerick Voice, who was killed last year aged 21 in a suspected hit-and-run.
The event was able to go ahead thanks to the hard work of Jack Walsh, the SPA's regional officer for Ireland and Northern Ireland, and the support of Trinity News.
Jack said: "I want to congratulate all the winners. Their recognition is testament to all the hard work they have put in over the last year. To all our member publications and their teams in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Thank you for ensuring the future of journalism on the island is in safe hands."
Jess Walmsley, the SPA's conference and events officer, said: "It was amazing to celebrate our fabulous Irish publications at the SPA’s first regional event in Dublin.
"A big thank you to Trinity News for hosting us, and to the superb work from Jack, our Ireland and Northern Ireland Regional Officer. I hope to see our Irish members along with the rest of our regional winners in Bristol for the national awards."
Ollie Cole, one of the SPA's trustees and political producer at Times Radio: "Our regional awards are a great opportunity to recognise even more of the hardworking journalists and publications right across the country and reward the high quality work they do in their own back yards. The calibre of entries this year was exceptional, and we hope to see all those who entered appear in the nominations for our national awards and at SPANC in Bristol."
Tickets for #SPANC24 are on sale now, and national awards nominations are open until February 19.
Want to host a regional conference next year?
Regional awards results
All winners, highly commended and special mentions will receive digital certificates via the email on their nomination.
Best Publication
Scotland
Winner: The Gaudie
Highly commended: The Glasgow Guardian
Wales
Winner: Gair Rhydd
Highly commended: Quench Magazine
Ireland & Northern Ireland
Winner: The College Tribune
Highly commended: TCD Misc
London
Winner: Roar News
Highly commended: Strand Magazine
North
Winner: The Mancunion
Highly commended: Palatinate
Midlands
Winner: Concrete
South West
Winner: Epigram
Highly commended: Exeposé
Special mention: The Bristorian
South East
Winner: Cherwell
Highly commended: The Oxford Scientist
Special mention: InQuire
Best Digital
Scotland
Winner: The Glasgow Guardian
Highly commended: The Student
Wales
Winner: Quench Magazine
Ireland & Northern Ireland
Winner: Limerick Voice
Highly commended: Trinity News
London
Winner: Roar News
Highly commended: I, Science
North
Winner: The Mancunion
Highly commended: Palatinate
Midlands
Winner: Lingo Magazine
Highly commended: Label Magazine
South West
Winner: Epigram
Highly commended: Exeposé
Special mention: Bath Time
South East
Winner: The Badger
Highly commended: The Oxford Scientist
Best Newcomer
Scotland
Winner: Braw Magazine
Midlands
Winner: People Behind the Headlines Magazine
South East
Winner: Gender Agenda
Outstanding Commitment
Scotland
Winner: Isabelle Hampton-Zabotti, The Gaudie
Highly commended: Freya Deyell, Brig Newspaper
Wales
Winner: Alanah Smith, Quench Magazine
Ireland & Northern Ireland
Winner: Kate Henshaw, Trinity News
Highly commended: Molly Cantwell, Limerick Voice
London
Winner: Talia Andrea, Strand Magazine
Highly commended: Fintan Hogan, Roar News
North
Winner: Orla McAndrew, Nouse
Highly commended: Hannah Auld, Take The Wheel Magazine
Midlands
Winner: Mariya Shan, People Behind The Headlines Magazine
Highly commended: Louis Wright, Redbrick
South West
Winner: Jamie Speka, Exeposé
Highly commended: Harry Craig, Exeposé
Special mention: Louise Sadler, Bath Time
South East
Winner: Semhar Tesfazgy, The Badger
Highly commended: Rashida Hassan, InQuire
Best Journalist
Scotland
Winner: Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco, The Gaudie
Highly commended: Athina Bohner, The Glasgow Guardian
Ireland & Northern Ireland
Winner: Clara Roche, The University Times
Highly commended: Ruby Topalian, Trinity News
Special mention: Jayna Rohslau, Trinity News
London
Winner: Fintan Hogan, Roar News
Highly commended: Rebekah Wright, The Cheese Grater
North
Winner: Emily Doughty, Palatinate
Highly commended: Josh Elgin, The Gryphon
Midlands
Winner: Alexandra Luca, The Boar
Highly commended: Anna Boyne, Impact Magazine
South West
Winner: Jamie Speka, Exeposé
Highly commended: Chloé Jarrett-Bell, Razz Magazine
South East
Winner: Rose Henderson, The Oxford Student
Winner: Milo Dennison, The Oxford Student
Highly commended: Maggie Wilcox, Cherwell
Best Article:
Scotland
Winner: Carlin Braun, Brig Newspaper, Sure, sex sells, but what does it cost?
Highly commended: Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco, The Gaudie, UoA chief George Boyne told colleagues he wanted staff to feel 'pain along the way'
Ireland & Northern Ireland
Winner: Gemma Good, Limerick Voice, Limerick’s “going dark”: A night in the life of a Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention volunteer
Highly commended: Kiran Singh, The University Times, Racism, mental health, and the urgent call for change in Trinity’s counselling services
Special mention: Ruby Topalian, Trinity News, The USSR flag and student communism: a controversial combination
London
Winner: Olive Bradshaw, iScience, Unlocking herstory: The historical quest of the elusive female 'O'
Highly commended: Emma Carmichael, Roar News, 'Is there really a choice?': An evening spent with KCL On The Streets and a conversation with rough sleepers in London
North
Winner: Kyle Galloway, The Gryphon, Jockstrap and why your new favourite celebrity is a freak
Highly commended: Sam Norman, The Courier, A neighbourhood divided: inside Jesmond's traffic transformation
Midlands
Winner: Eden Fall-Bailey, The Boar, What's the Big Issue? A frank conversation on homelessness
South West
Winner: Amelia Jacob, Epigram, 'University has given me another chance': Life as a mature student at Bristol
Highly commended: Miles Comer, Razz Magazine, Top 10 albums of 2023
Special mention: Milan Perera, Epigram, Bristol Bus Boycott: Bristol celebrates the 60th anniversary of the landmark event
South East
Winner: Suzanne Antelme, Cherwell, Oxford centre with mystery £10m donor and family links to autocratic ruler silent on regime's imprisonment of LSE academic
Highly commended: Ester Paolocci, The Oxford Scientist, The Anatomical Machines: when science inspires art, masterpieces are born
